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Marro
The Marro Race , a Marro Warlord]] The Marro are a generally humanoid race that inhabit the murky swamp planet of Marr. Apparently, they were not always present on Marr; the Primadons remember a time before the Marro came to their world. Where the Marro came from originally is a mystery, as the Marro keep no written records, and they have been on Marr apparently for as long as anyone else can remember. They operate under a hive mind; some variants of Marro are incapable of action until commanded by higher authority, while others are bred with keen intelligence and cunning to lead the lower Marro castes. Their main weaponry is created with genetic engineering, resulting in Marro gifted with biological weapons such as telepathic abilities and natural armors. Other Marro are trained in the usage of external implements such as plasma rifles and primitive slicing tools. The Marro race appears to reproduce asexually, however there are confirmed female Marro. Ecology Physical Characteristics Most Marro are humanoid in height, standing between 4'5" to 6'1"; some genetic variants may reach 14' in height, such as Tor-Kul-Na's mount. They are a lightweight race, averaging 130-160 lbs, excluding giant Marro which may exceed several tons. They are a slim race, only appearing muscular due to the lack of flesh. They are bald, and all share a bloodstained look. They do not have bones, but instead have an exoskeletal structure, making them quite durable and formidable in combat. All Marro lack pupils and irises, with the exception of some high-ranking Hivelords and Warlords, who have completely blacked out cornea and sclera. Little is known about the lifespan of the Marro race. All Marro are produced by the will of a Marro Hive, and live out their lives in servitude until their death in warfare (or, in rare cases, cannibalism). Nothing is known of their sleeping habits or diets. Abilities Abilities are determined by genetic engineering. Some Marro, such as the immensely powerful Hivelords, inherit abilities through their mounts. The Marro Warlords receive abilities by biogenetically structuring weaponry to their bodies to their liking. Also Warlords have exceptional telepathic abilities, allowing them to command legions of their own kind without having to utter a single word, mind shackle other sentient beings to their will, or instill a paralyzing fear with their gaze to hinder opposing fighters. Other Marro have a genetic ability to exude a venomous gas to those near them that damages the skin of any non-Marro that comes in contact with it. Another Marro ability is to clone, using water as a conduit to genetically splice a clone with the exact same characteristics of themselves. Marro technology is organic in nature and highly advanced. Their melee units have their weapons and armor grown from or fused onto their bodies. Their fire-arms take their energy from a small plasma charged ball attached to the bottom of the weapon, or from an outside source, such as water, or usually the Marro who is wielding it. Psychology The Marro are a polluting race, their mere presence fouling water and air, thus making the swamps of Marr and Valhalla favorable habitats. Their mind is set strictly based on the will of their Hive, led by an impetuous goal to contaminate all the planets and force the inhabitants into slavery, stealing their DNA to add to the Hive's codon matrix and obtain genetic supremacy. They seek always to spread their infection, choking out all other life. They are ruthless, lethal, and unforgiving, only allying themselves with others to achieve their domination goal. All other "fleshing" races should be slaves, the Marro being their overlords. They are emotionless, expressing no fear, discontent, or pain. Whenever a Marro is found faulty, the others mercilessly execute it to prevent it from contaminating the army as a whole. Culture Marro culture is a hive-like, caste structure, ruled by Hivelords. The Hives produce and control the lesser Marro. An intermediary class are the Overlords. Under them comes the Warlord Caste which in turn rule over the fighting castes, the main infantry of the Marro, composed of the Stinger, Warrior, Drone, Divider, Grok Rider, and Drudge Castes. Warwitches are powerful, independent individual Marro of about the same standing as the Warlords but otherwise usually operating outside the conventional system. Of the six fighting castes, all are extremely numerous, except for the Warriors. The Stingers are the most powerful of the infantry, wielding heavy weaponry. Warriors are more specialized but rare, serving as elite guards. Dividers are melee fighters with a special ability to clone. Grok Riders are melee cavalry units, Marro riding beasts that they have captured, serving as scouts and swift attack units, but primarily as guards for Warlords. Drudge are weak but numerous fighters armed with acid-firing pistols fused to their bodies, serving primarily as guards of the Hives and of the Marro swampy home territories and breeding grounds; thus they have been genetically engineered with a special affinity for Swamp environments. The Drone Caste, mostly used as bait or pawns, is last in the line with only the trained genetic infantry the Wulsinu and Nagrub races, the enslaved beasts which they train and use for war and later for defense and food, known to be of lower rank. While the Marro do have a spoken language, which is undecipherable to outsiders, their primary method of communication while on the battlefield seems to be telepathy. Only the highest of the caste structures, such as the Hivelords and Warlords, have this ability and use it to their advantage with deadly accuracy, commanding their troops with incredible efficiency. Slaves Marro also genetically alter and enhance animal life forms from Marr. These creatures are known as Wulsinu and came in many varities. *The Marrden Hounds - Trained canine-like Marro genetic animal slaves that serve as warhounds and as a hunting pack *The Marrden Nagrubs - Reptilian rat-like genetic animal slaves that are loyal Hivelord guardians and serve as food for Hivelord Wulsinu mounts, healing wounds when consumed. *Me-Burq-Sa rides a horse-like Wulsinu mount. *Su-Bak-Na rides a skeletal dragon-like Wulsinu mount. *Grok Riders are mounted on reptilian cat-like Wulsinu mounts. Marro Present in Valhalla *'Ne-Gok-Sa' *'Marro Warriors' *'Me-Burq-Sa' *'Marro Drones' *'Su-Bak-Na' *'Marrden Hounds' (Wulsinu) *'Kee-Mo-Shi' *'Tor-Kul-Na' *'Marro Stingers' *'Marro Drudge' *'Marrden Nagrubs' (Wulsinu) *'Grok Riders' *'Wo-Sa-Ga' *'Tul-Bak-Ra' *'Marro Dividers' *'Marro Hive' The Hive Rising up from uncharted swamp, the Marro Hive appears to be a unique feature of the terrain. It isn’t until champions come very close to the living walls of the Hive that they hear it gurgle with life and see its walls erupt with hatching Marro, fully mature and ready to do battle. From a distance, the Hive appears like an odd arrangement of dinosauric bones, green pulsing muscle tissue, and strange bubbling masses of fleshy eggs. But battle erupting around the Hive reveals that this creature is far from a passive nest: It thinks and attacks with a will of its own. The Hive shows its vast intelligence as it speaks telepathically to the lesser Marro, calling them to do its will. This brutal combination of creating and commanding the lesser Marro drives fear straight into the hearts of its enemies. General Strategy The Marro are an army heavily based on rolling the 20-sided die. There is a hero (Su-Bak-Na) that boosts die rolls for Marro units. They are also based on swarm units bonding with a powerful hero and replenishable numbers. The Marro Hive can revive fallen drones, stingers, and drudges. The Marro ranged units are short-ranged and are meant to surround and engage enemy figures. Their only melee squads are the Marro Drones, and the Marro Dividers, which are meant to engage enemy figures while heroes or Marro Stingers do the dirty work. Marro Stingers are the staple ranged unit, with Marro Drudges as a swamp water specific ranged unit. The Grok Riders are the heavy cavalry, with drones as light infantry. The Marro Warriors are a staple ranged squad, but since unique, may only be drafted once in an army. Marrden Nagrubs and Marrden Hounds are support healers and light cavalry, respectively. Drafting Marro As mentioned, the Marro are great at swarming and d20 rolls. On their own, most squads can be weak in one way or another, and the regeneration of units via the Hive is a rather slow process and forces units to stay within the 12 hex radius of the Hive if you don't want to waste the order markers. In a standard 500 point game, using Marro is difficult, as you have very few resources with which to account for the squads' weaknesses. Both the Hive and Su-Bak-Na are both 160 points each, so it's unlikely that you will be able to draft both without seriously hindering the size of your squads, plus the Hive's immobility will make it a prime target for snipers, BEWARE of Zetacron, Deadeye Dan, and other high power snipers. The Marro Warriors are able to easily regenerate each other and are very low cost, plus you could keep one safe in the back and keep reviving them. Common figures used with Marro armies: Raelin, Roman Legionnaires (for bonding) Common draft combos: Grok Riders + Ne-Gok-Sa/Me-Burq-Sa Marro Stingers + Raelin/Taelord Tor-Kul-Na + Marrden Nagrubs Wo-Sa-Ga + Marro Warriors/Marro Drudge Marro Hive + Marro Drones/Marro Stingers/Marro Drudge Category:Species Category:Utgar Category:Marro